River and Pond Ducks 



eggs are laid near the water, but in dry, grassy land, where the 

 mother, who bears all the family cares^ forms a slight depression 

 in the soil, under some protecting bush, if may be, and lines it 

 with feathers from her breast. 



Wood Duck 



(Aix sponsa) 



Called also: SUMMER DUCK; BRIDAL DUCK; WOOD WID- 

 GEON; TREE DUCK; ACORN DUCK 



Length — 17 to 19 inches. 



Male — Crown of head, elongated crest, and cheeks golden, metal- 

 lic green, with purple iridescence; a white line from base 

 of bill over the eye, and another behind it, reach to the end 

 of crest; throat, and a band from it up sides of head, white; 

 breast rich reddish chestnut spotted with white; white un- 

 derneath, shading into yellowish gray on the sides, which are 

 finely marked with waving lines of black; strong black and 

 white markings on long feathers at back of the flanks on the 

 sides. Upper parts dark, iridescent and purplish, greenish 

 brown; a white crescent and a black one in front of wings, 

 which are glossed with purple and green and tipped with 

 white; wing patch purplish blue edged with white; spot at 

 either side of base of tail, chestnut purple. Bill pinkish, red 

 at the base, black underneath and on ridge and tip. Legs 

 yellow. 



Female — Smaller. Crest and wing markings more restricted; 

 head dusky with purplish crown ; throat, patch around eye, 

 and line backward, white; breast and sides grayish brown, 

 streaked with buff; underneath white; back olive brown 

 glossed with greenish and purple. Young drake resembles 

 the female. 



Range — "North America at large, but chiefly in the United States, 

 breeding throughout its range, wintering chiefly in the 

 south." (Coues.) 



Season — Summer resident. 



This most beautiful of all our ducks, if not of all American 

 birds, in the opinion of many, that Linnaeus named the bride 

 {sponsa), although it is the groom that is particularly festive in 

 rich apparel and flowing, veil-like crest, confines itself to this 

 continent exclusively ; neither has it a counterpart in Europe or 

 Asia as most of our other ducks have. It is an independent little 



